A late-night spontaneous self-piercing

By Anonymous · April 07, 2008

Ever since I was thirteen, I had wanted some sort of piercing and my favorite would change all the time. One week I was set on convincing my mother that an eyebrow piercing didn't look trashy, the next I was holding earrings up to my nostril to get a feel for what I'd look like. As I got older, I got more into the piercings that weren't seen around my small town too often. This included my septum, monroe, labret, smiley, etc. Like I said, my town was small so even a nostril or tongue ring was seen as some sort of horrible gothic ritual.

My birthday is April 2, and I was set on getting some sort of metal in my face a few days prior to it. I decided that a septum was the one for me, but I knew my mom wasn't so supportive of that seeing as how she thinks all nose-related piercings look horrible. But I figured that she wouldn't make me take it out if I just showed up at home with it. Since I wasn't eighteen, there was no way I could get it done professionally, so my best friend and I hit up our local Super Wal-Mart... at midnight.

There we picked up the fattest needles we could find (I think they were about the size of a 16 gauge) and a little package containing two 16 gauge rings. We took it all home and let them soak in hydrogen peroxide. Looking back, I could have done so much more to sterilize them, but I was rushed on adrenaline and didn't think.

My nerves set in, and I was staring down the mirror, pinching the area of my septum where I'd be piercing it. I plucked one of the rings from the peroxide and removed the balls. I held it to my septum, and out of curiosity placed it on my lip. My preference for the septum disappeared, and suddenly I was sure that my bottom lip was in need of the piercing.

At this point my hands were shaking in anticipation, and I dropped the jewelry back in the peroxide and plucked a needle from the same cup. I placed the needlepoint to the inside of my lip. I didn't think about how it could turn out crooked, but began to push. The pain was nonexistent, and felt like a rather persistent pinch. It went by slowly, and it didn't help that the needle was fairly fat.

I reached the last bit of skin on the outside of my lip. The point barely stuck through, and I had to push as hard as I could for a few minutes to get it completely through. This was probably the most painful part of the initial piercing. When I got it through, I was beside myself with joy and an insane adrenaline rush. Light-headed, I took a breather and sat on the toilet.

After getting a bit of sugar in my system (soda, probably stupid as I'm sure soda isn't good for an open wound), I pulled the needle out and immediately began pushing the jewelry through. My friend told me to begin putting it in from the outside, but this didn't work so well. Frightened that it would close, I put it in from the inside and made it most of the way.

But it seemed that I lost the rest of the hole. I panicked and began pushing as hard as I could. It broke through my skin, making a new hole. I screwed the ball back on, swished mouthwash through my mouth, gently wiped the area with rubbing alcohol, and laid down with ice on it. The whole thing took about two frustrating hours, my friend giving encouraging cries of, "Don't be a pussy!" the whole time. Gotta love her for the moral support.

Oddly enough, my lip was probably the only thing I had never wanted pierced. I always thought that it looked stupid and I was sure that my lips were far too thin for it. It's been three days now, and there is still substantial swelling. I haven't gotten crusties, scabbing, or anything of the sort. I've kept it clean, maybe too clean with soap, warm salt water, and mouth wash.

However, it is slight crooked. But I don't think this is all too noticeable, or if it just appears this way because of the swelling. It's a bit sore, and I have to catch myself from drooling when I talk too much. I've been taking ibuprofen, and many people have assured me that the swelling is completely fine. I consider myself luckier than others, because I've seen some of my friends' piercings look a lot worse.

My only problem is that I can't stop playing with it, which I know can increase irritation. Also, with my history of changing what piercing I want often, I'm a bit scared that I'll be tired of the lip ring by next month. This was definitely not a clearly planned piercing, but I'm happy with the results and still plan on getting my septum as soon as possible.

I recommend getting your piercings done professionally. I'm so thankful that my lip is still infection-free, and I know that I'd feel a lot more secure if I had gotten it done by a professional. There's so much that could have (and still can) go wrong with mine, but I've got high hopes. If you DO intend to do it yourself, make sure to research thoroughly, use the proper hollow needles (not the $1.67 sewing pack in the fabric section), and honestly consider if you really want this.

Good luck! :D

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submitted by: Anonymouson: 07 April 2008in
Lip Piercing

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